When a priest’s own conscience conflicts with his vow of obedience to the Church, what should he do? In 2012, Father Tony Flannery faced this question for himself.

Father Flannery: Conscience is 'What Makes You Human'

April 20, 2017

It’s one of the oldest dilemmas in the Catholic Church: what to do when a priest’s own conscience conflicts with his vow of obedience. In 2012, Father Tony Flannery confronted this problem for himself, when he publicly challenged key church teachings on the priesthood, women's ordination and homosexuality, and was promptly silenced by the Vatican. For him, an informed conscience is the ultimate guide; right and wrong must be discerned from the inside out. From February 2015.

An informed conscience is not simply your own personal opinion, Father Thomas Petri tells us. Conscience is formed in relation to the Church, trusting the wisdom of the saints and Church Fathers. Explaining the standard doctrine, he says that as a public figure and representative of the Catholic Church, Father Flannery had a duty to work out his issues in private. From February 2015.

Father Thomas Petri, instructor of moral theology and pastoral studies at the Dominican House of Studies

Sister Joan Chittister on the Light Found in Darkness

April 20, 2017

This week, Sister Joan Chittister invites us to embrace chaos, insecurity, and the great unknown. After a battle with polio when she entered the convent at sixteen years old, she learned that spiritual growth can be ignited by the most tragic moments of life. Light, she tells us, can be birthed from the darkness. From April 2015.

Joan Chittister, author of Between the Dark and the Daylight: Embracing the Contradictions of Life

Joan has called Joni Mitchell's 1968 classic "Both Sides, Now" a perfect illustration of her own approach to spiritual paradox. Enjoy this beautiful live version, from 1970: